Texas Tops Collegiate Merchandise Sales For Fifth Straight Year

The Univ. of Texas ranked No. 1 in collegiate merchandise sold for the fifth consecutive year, according to new data from the Collegiate Licensing Co. For the period of July 1, 2009, through June 30, 2010, Texas beat out Alabama for the top spot. Alabama did see a bump from its football national championship, moving up from the No. 5 spot last year. Among schools ranked in the top 20, Kentucky saw the biggest movement, moving up five spots to the No. 8 position (CLC).

LICENSEES: Among collegiate apparel licensees, Knights Apparel Inc. occupied the top spot for the first time in CLC history. Knights Apparel is the largest supplier of collegiate apparel to Walmart. Prior to the '09-10 fiscal year, Nike had held the top apparel licensee spot since '99. Among non-apparel licensees, EA Sports maintained the top spot, a position it has held since '03. On the heels of its successful Snuggie program, Fabrique Innovations jumped to the No. 2 spot in the non-apparel category. Upper Deck also cracked the top 25 non-apparel list for the first time, coming in at No. 6.